Leicester police seek animal cruelty charges after cats abandoned

Monday

May 5, 2014 at 12:12 PM

By Linda Bock TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

LEICESTER — Police will seek animal cruelty charges against a Worcester pair that allegedly abandoned two cats in the Auburn Street-Tobin Road area last week. A photo taken of the suspects' vehicle — taken by someone whose identity is being protected by police — helped investigators track down the alleged culprits.

Both individuals admitted that they had participated in abandoning the cats, according to Police Chief James Hurley.

Police plan to file a criminal application this week seeking to charge each individual with cruelty to an animal by willful abandonment. The police chief said the suspects' names will not be released until they are formally charged.

Police received a tip about 12:15 p.m. Wednesday that a vehicle stopped in Auburn Street-Tobin Road area and that someone opened one of the doors and let out two cats before taking off.

Investigators were able to obtain a partial registration from a photo of the vehicle leaving. The vehicle was tracked down using information from the state Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Police posted the picture of the vehicle on their Facebook page last week.

Officers went to address listed for the owner of the vehicle in Worcester, and the owner of the vehicle told them her daughter had the vehicle at the time in question. The officers then interviewed the woman's daughter and the daughter's boyfriend. They acknowledged their role, the chief said.